About the Esophageal Cancer Center at Mount Sinai

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer or if you are at risk for the disease, Mount Sinai’s team of experts can help. Spearheaded by Chairman of Department of Thoracic Surgery Raja Flores, MD, and Chief of Endoscopy Sharmila Anandasabapathy, MD, our Esophageal Cancer Center offers comprehensive care to patients at every stage of the disease.

Using a multidisciplinary approach, we bring together multiple specialists in gastroenterology, thoracic surgery, oncology, radiation oncology, radiology, pathology, plastic surgery, psychiatry, oncology nursing and nutrition, who are all dedicated to crafting the safest and most-effective treatment plan for each patient. Mount Sinai’s Gastroenterology (Digestive Diseases) is at the forefront of early esophageal cancer diagnosis. Additionally, we offer access to clinical trials often unavailable elsewhere.

About Esophageal Cancer

The esophagus is the tube that carries food and water from your mouth to your stomach. Two types of cancer can develop in the esophagus: squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Barrett’s esophagus, which can develop from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) increases the risk for adenocarcinoma, which is the most common form of esophageal cancer in the United States.

Esophageal cancer is a serious and complex disease that responds best to treatment in its earliest stages. The National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health estimates that each year, approximately 13,000 men and 3,500 women in the United States are diagnosed with esophageal cancer and about 15,000 esophageal-related cancer deaths occur.

Advanced Diagnostics for Early Detection

Because early detection and care of esophageal cancer are important to achieving the best outcomes, we employ the most advanced diagnostic and treatment methods available. Mount Sinai is one of the few centers in the world to offer confocal microendoscopy - a highly sophisticated diagnostic test that offers both a standard and a microscopic view of the esophagus, permitting physicians to determine normal esophageal lining from pre-cancerous Barrett’s esophagus at a very early stage when treatment can be highly effective.

Comprehensive and Coordinated Care at Mount Sinai

Mount Sinai’s Esophageal Cancer Center treats GERD, Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal cancer at all stages. We bridge together experts from Gastroenterology and our Endoscopy Suite to Thoracic Surgery, so that each patient can be cared for in one central location. This minimizes waiting periods for diagnosis, appointments, and results, and give patients access to some of the finest physicians around the world, who are working together to maximize each patient’s quality of life.